Refrigerating apparatus



June 10, 1941.

J. W. JACOBS REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Fil ed May 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 1:11 415: Mwfilcaas.

HIS ATTORNEYS.

June 10, 1%41. J. w. JACOBS REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed May 26, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Jinus Ml. rficoas,

HIS ATTORNEYS June 10, 1941 J. w. JACOBS I REFRIGERATING APPARATUS a Shets-Shet 3 Filed May 26, 1939 1NVENTOR. "J M/E: M'JI IC QJ', BY

Ill-7 ATTORNEYS.

' Patented June 10, 1941 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS James WiJMObS, Dayton, Ohio, asslgnor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporatlon of Delaware Application May 26.1939, sci-m No. 215,943

'8 Claims. (01. 62-4085) This invention relates to liquid freezing devices and particularly to ice trays and grids therefor employed in household refrigerators.

I am aware of the fact that there is now in commercial use liquid freezing devices for household refrigerators including a tray and a grid therefor wherein the grid is of a rigid metal wall unitary construction and divides the interior of the tray into a plurality of ice block compartments. In these devices the'grid is ordinarily .removable from the tray and has certain of its rigid ice block compartment walls movable relative to certain others thereof for breaking a bond between the compartment walls and ice blocks bonded thereto to thereby, liberate the ice blocks from the grid structure. Devices of this type have been expensive to manufacture due to the fact that the grid structure thereof is usually provided with an.,operating bar which spans and engages the plurality of ice block compartment walls to be moved by a lever or other force multiplying means. The provision of an operating bar complicates the structure and in addition renders the grid difilcult to clean thus resulting in an unsanitary structure. More recently, however, others have endeavored to reduce the cost of such grid struqtures by eliminating the operating bar and by making a certain ice block compartment wall in two parts, one of which parts is movable relative to the other thereof, upon application of force thereto by a lever, for transmitting force directly to each of the walls of the grid to be moved. While this latter type of grid construction has been placed on the market and used quite extensively, it has not been entirely satisfactory because of the fact that the inherent dificulty of moving a part of a grid wall through the largeibody of ice frozen in the grid structure and relative to the other part of the wall to move the movable grid walls causes the ice blocks 'to shatter or causes sections of the ice blocks to break away from the main portion of the blocks. I have found that by utilizing the ice blocks themselves to transmit force from one grid wall to another thereof and by arranging the grid walls so that they will be moved by the force applied to the ice blocks shattering or breaking of the blocks is eliminated. Due to my discovery, I contemplate the construction of a. more simplified and,low cost liquid freezing device from which ice blocks can be readily and effectively harvested while at the same time maintaining certain desirable structural features.

A general object of my invention is to provide an improved liquid freezing device for reiriger-' 2-2 of Fig.1; Y i Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view ating systems and a novel method of removin the grid of the device from the tray thereof and ice blocks from the tray and grid without the application of heat.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved liquid freezing devicewherein force applied to a certain ice block compartment wall of the grid structure thereof is transmitted through blocks of ice adjacent thereto to other of the grid walls to move same and wherein such wall and ice blockmovement frees the grid from the tray of the device and also liberates ice blocks from the grid walls forming the compartments.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved liquid freezing device wherein force applied to an ice block compartment wall located centrally of an elongated non-flexible grid structure in the tray of the device moves other of the rid walls toward an end of the grid structure by transmitting the force solely through ice blocks disposed between the ice block compartment walls.

In carrying out the foregoing objects, it is a still further and more specific object of my invention to provide an improved liquid freem'ng device including a tray and a rigid grid wall structure disposed in the tray to divide the interior of the tray into ice block compartments wherein the grid walls are normally inclined with respect to the bottom of the tray, are disposed at an acute angle relative to one another and are tiltable in a direction lengthwise of the device by transmission of force through blocks of ice therein to substantially squeeze -the ice blocks out of their I compartments. 35

Further objects and advantages of the present description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a freezing device comprising a trayand grid constructed in accordance with my invention; I

Fig. 2 is a side view of the freezing device showing the tray in section and is taken on the'line of the device taken on the line 3- -3 of Fig. 2 and showing the mounting of a lever on the grid thereof blocks in. the freezing device and disclosing the grid structure elevated relative to the tray with ice blocks in one portion of the device broken loose from walls of the grid and tray. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. showing the grid structure elevated relative to the tray with all the ice blocks in the device broken loose from walls of the grid and tray; and

Fig. 7 is a view showing the grid of the freezing device removed from the tray thereof with ice blocks liberated from the grid structure and contained in the tray.

Referring to the drawings, for illustrating my invention, I have disclosed a. freezing device for liquids adapted to be placed in or on a support associated with a cooling element or evaporator of a refrigerating system. The freezing device includes a substantially rigid metal tray |5 having side walls l6, a bottom wall l1 and opposed end walls l3 and |3.. The tray side walls I6 are diverged-outwardly toward the top of the tray and the end walls I8 and I9 are diverged outwardly toward the top of the tray a greater distance than the side walls for facilitating removal of a unitary grid structure 20, disposed in tray i5, from the tray as will be more fully described hereinafter. The walls l6, l3 and I3 of tray I5 have their upper edge rolled or bent over to form a rim 2| which extends continuously around the top of the tray and increases the structural strength thereof. A portion of the metal tray I5 is extended downwardly from rim 2|, as at 22, at the front end thereof and provides a mounting for a metal piece 23 which has a handle 24 pivotally secured thereto. The handle 24 facilitates placing of the freezing device on its support in the evaporator of the refrigerating system and a cam surface 26 formed thereon functions, upon actuating handle 24, to break an ice bond between the tray and its support to permit removal of the freezing device and its frozen content from the evaporator as is well known in the art.

The unitary grid structure, generally represented by the reference character 23, is removably disposed within tray l5 and comprises a rigid upright one-piece metal longitudinal partition or wall 3| and a plurality of rigid metal partitions or walls 32 extending transversely through the plane thereof in spaced apart relation along the length of said longitudinal partition. The partitions or walls 3i and 32 of grid structure 20 divide the interior of tray l5 into a plurality of rows from one another to provide a clearance space which permits sliding of the transverse walls 32 over the longitudinal wall 3 After the transverse walls are located in their respective notches and slots of the longitudinal wall the edges of the slits 42 are bent back into alignment to movably lock the transverse walls 32 on the wall 3|. The slit 42 at the webs 4| may be closed, if desired, by soldering or'welding the edges thereof together. The arrangement of the notches 36 relative to the slots 31 in longitudinal wall 3| and the loose interlocking of walls 32 with wall 3| are such that the transverse walls 32 assume an inclined position relative to the vertical disposition of the longitudinal wall 3| when the grid structure 20 is placed in the tray I5. In addition, I space the slots 31 at different distances from one another to normally dispose the rigid transverse partitions or walls at an acute angle relative to one another when the grid walls are in an ice block forming position within tray IS. The normal acute angled disposition of the transverse grid walls relative to one another provides the ice block compartments 33 with a trapezoid form in one direction of cross section therethrough which facilitates the liberation of ice blocks 34 from the compartments 33.

of compartments 33 adapted to have a liquid frozen therein in the form of ice blocks 34.

Longitudinal partition or wall 3| of grid 23 has a plurality of spaced apart notches 36 extending downwardly from its top edge and has a plurality of V-shaped slots 31 cut upwardly from its bottom edge the number of notches 36 corresponding to the number of slots 31 to provide for the interlocking of the desired number of transverse walls 32 in movable relation with longitudinal wall 3|. Trasverse walls 32 each have a web portion 33 located above an elongated opening 33 provided therein (see Fig. 4) and which web portion 33 is disposed in a notch 36 with the main body portion of longitudinal wall 3| disposed within the opening 33 of the transverse wall. A lower web portion 4| of each transverse wall 32 (see Fig. 4) flts in a slot 31 of the longitudinal wall 3| and this web portion 4| is slit, as at 42, to permit assembly of the transverse walls or partitions 32 upon or into movable interlocking relation with the longitudinal partition or wall. The edges of the slit-42 at the web portions 4| are bent outwardly away In other words, the compartments 33 are tapered or are of a greater horizontal cross sectional area at their'bottoms than at their tops. A lever 46 is pivotally mounted upon an upstanding ear 4! provided on the central top portion of longitudinal grid wall 3| by a pin or peg 48. The thick pivotally mounted portion of lever 46 is slotted as at 5| (see Fig. 3) to provide a pair of legs 52 that straddle the longitudinal wall 3| and each of which legs 52 have like cam portions 53 and 54 formed thereon. Lever 46 is, in the present disclosure, disposed between the two centralmost transverse walls near the top of the grid structure 23, and the cam portions 63 and 64 of the lever are adapted to directly engage the upper part of these central transverse grid walls in a manner.

-l5 and are elevated whereupon they tilt about their pivot points, formed by the lower edges of slots 31, and the upper web portion 33 of walls 32 move against the upright wall portion of notches 36 that are closer to the pivotal mounting of lever 46. The arrangement of the notches 36 with respect to the slots 31 prevents the transverse grid walls 32 from attaining a vertical position and thus the walls 32 are always slightly inclined relative to the vertical disposition of longitudinal grid wall 3| or relative to the bottom wall H of tray Hi to cause the movement thereof described into a normal ice block forming position when the grid is placed in the tray. Since the plurality of transverse grid walls 32 are normally inclined and one wall thereof adjacent another wall is disposed at an acute angle relative to the said another wall, the ice block compartments are of a greater horizontal cross sectional area at their bottoms than at their tops. The transverse walls will inherently attain their diflerent inclinations relative to one another when the grid structure 20 is placed in the bottom of tray l5.

i In the presentdisclosure I havearranged the notches .36 and slots 31 in the rigid longitudinal grid wall 3| relative to one another so that the inclined rigid v-transverse partitions or walls 32 are looselyinterlocked with the longitudinal par- .tition or wall, bythese notches and slots and so that the transverse walls have a 3 difference of singlination relative to one another to provide the normal acute angled disposition thereof. In other words, the first walls 32 on each side of the pivotal -.rnounting of lever 36 are normally disposed at a .75 included angle which is 75 from'the horizontal bottom edge of longitudinal grid-wall, 3|

or from the bottom wall ll of tray l5 to provide the central, compartments 33 with an isosceles trapezoid form in one directionof cross section therethroughl The walls 32 adjacent the '15"v angled walls are normally disposed at a 72 included angle which'is -72 from the horizontal bottom edge of longitudinalgrid wall 3| or from the bottom wall ll of tray I5. End transverse walls 32 are normally disposed at a 69 included angle which is 69 from the horizontal bottom edge of longitudinal grid wall 3| or from the bottom wall 1 1;, of tray I5. All the transverse partitions or walls 32 are of the same dimension in height, and

consequently the ice block compartments 33 beyondthe. central compartments are, when the transverse walls are in their normal ice block forming, position within tray l5, of substantially relative thereto and consequently substantially squeeze the ice blocks 33 out of the trapezoid wiseof the longitudinal grid wall 3| or are tilted shaped compartments 33. The force exerted against the ice blocks 33 to move same downwardly of their compartments 33 breaks the entire grid structure 20 and other ice blocks 33 remaining bonded to the opposite or right-hand end portion of the grid from the tray as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. The unitary grid structure 26 and ice blocks remaining bonded in the right-hand end thereof can then be withdrawn from tray i5 to thereby leave the already loosened ice blocks free within the tray for harvesting same therefrom. After harvesting of the loosened or liberated ice blocks 33, the grid structure 20 together with the ice blocks still remaining bonded thereto in the right-hand end thereof can be replaced in tray l5 and the tray repositioned in the evaporator until such time as harvesting of the remainder of the ice blocks is desired. However, if all the iceblocks 33 are desired to be harvested at the same time the lever36 is moved, while the grid structure 26 remains inthe tray, further in its single direction of motion, than the movement thereof to remove the ice blocks in the left-hand end thereof as described, about the pivotal mounting pin 36 to also rotate the second cam portions 53 into engagement with the one transverse grid wall or partition 32 located at theright-hand side of the pivotal mounting of the lever. Force applied a. trapezoid form in one direction of cross section Y therethrough. While I have set forth a preferable difierentiation in the acute angled disposition of the transverse grid walls relative to one another in their normal position of inclination, it is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited to this specific example given.

Assume that water has been frozen in the freezing device, comprising the grid 20 and tray I5, in the form of the ice blocks 33 in'compartments 33 by the cooling efiect produced by an evaporator of a refrigerating system, and the tray handle 23 has been manipulated to remove. the device from its support on the evaporatorand it is now desirable to harvest the ice blocks 33 from the freezing device. rotate the cam portions 53 formed thereon about the pivot pin 36 and into engagement with the upper part of transverse grid wall 32, on opposite sides of longitudinal wall 3|, at the left of the pivotal mounting of the lever. Force applied to the one transverse partition or-wall, located on the left-hand side of the pivotal mounting of lever 36, by the cams 53 in an attempt to move or tilt this wall in a direction lengthwise of the The lever 36 is elevated to verse wall andtoward the left-hand end of the freezing device. The force exerted upon-lever 36 is greatly multiplied by'the relation of cam 53 to the pivotal mounting of lever 36 and by the point of engagement of cam 53 with the upper portion of the wall 32 relative to the pivot point of wall 32 which is at the bottom of the device. This multiplied force transmittedthrough the ice blocks breaks the bond between the ice blocks 33 and their compartment walls and between the ice blocks 33 and walls-of tray l5. Due to the construction and arrangement of the transverse walls 32; all these walls to the. left of the pivotal mounting of lever 36 move in a direction lengthto this one transverse wall or partition at the right of lever 36 in an attempt to move or tilt it is transmittedsolely through the ice blocks adjacent thereto to other transverse walls beyond same and toward the right-hand end of the structure. The force and movement of the transverse grid walls 32 relative to the longitudinal grid wall 3| substantially squeezes the ice blocks 33' in: the right-hand end portion of the grid from their compartments as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. If it is found, after liberating ice blocks from the left-hand end of the structure and after having removed the grid and ice blocks in-the right-hand end thereof fromthe tray, that all the ice blocks are desired to be harvested the grid 20 with the blocks remaining bonded thereto, in the right-hand end portion thereof, may be repositioned in the tray or placed upon a table top and the lever 36 rotated further in its single direction of motion to move the transverse walls to which the remaining 'ice blocks are bonded to liberate these blocks. Ice blocks in the 'isoceles trapezoid shaped compartments below the central mounting point of lever 36 will be liberated from the grid by movement .of their bounding transverse walls at the time ice blocks in the right-hand portion of the device are libharvesting by force transmitted solely through I the blocks of ice from one transverse wall to another and without the aid of additional means connected to the lever and engaging each individual transverse grid wall. The force exerted upon the ice by lever 36 substantially breaks the bondbetween certain of the ice blocks and their compartment walls, to permit movement of certhe breaking of the bond between ice blocks remaining bonded to the, grid and walls of the tray to cause the grid structure 20 to be moved upwardly of the tray l5. Breaking of the ice bonds between the ice block compartment and tray walls maybe facilitated, if desired, by treatsubstance. r

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improved freezing device and particularly an improved method of moving movable walls of a unitary grid structure. Myinvention permits the construction of v a simplified grid structure of low manufacturingcost, strong and durable and capable of effectively removing ice blocks therefrom. My invention reduces to a minimum the number of parts to be assembled in the construction of a unitary removable grid structure and by eliminating the necessity of moving a part of an ice block compartment wall through the ice and relative to another part thereof, undue shattering of the ice blocks is prevented. In the freezing device disclosed, all or less than all of the ice blocks can be harvested at one time as desired and ice blocks not harvested can be replaced along with the grid into the tray, and the tray repositioned in the evaporator to preserve the remaining ice blocks until such time as their harvesting is desired. My improved freezing device lends itself to several different modes of liberating and harvesting ice blocks therefrom and in this respect is of increased utility over certain former constructions.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A unitary grid structure for an ice tray comprising, a longitudinal wall, a plurality of spaced apart walls extending transversely to said longitudinal wall'and individually interlocked therewith for movement within fixed limits thereupon, said walls cooperating with the tray to form compartments in which a liquid is frozen into ice blocks, and movable means permanently attached to said grid for engaging andmoving one of said transverse walls relative to said longitudinal wall and to move other of said transverse walls relative to said longitudinal wall by reason of force transmitted through ice blocks in said compartments.

2. A unitary grid structure for an ice tray comprising, a longitudinal wall, a plurality of spaced apart walls extending transversely to said longitudinal wall and individually interlocked therewith for movement within fixed limits thereupon, said walls cooperating with the tray to form compartments in which a liquid is frozen into ice blocks, and movable means permanently attached to a central part of said longitudinal grid wall for engaging and moving a first transverse wall on one side thereof and for engaging and moving tain of the ice block walls, simultaneouslywith and said second transverse walls by reason of,

, force transmitted through ice blocks in said gitudinal wall and individually interlocked there- 'ing or coating the walls with a waxy or the like- I with for movement within fixed limits thereupon,

partments in which a liquid is frozen into ice blocks, a lever permanently attached to said longitudinal gridwall, all of said transverse walls. on one side of. said lever being inclined withrespect to the vertical toward said lever, and saidlever being movable to engage and tilt one of said transverse walls in a direction toward the vertical and to tilt other of said transverse walls toward the vertical by reason of force transmitted through ice blocks in said compartments.

4. A grid of the character described in claim 3 wherein the inclined transverse walls are normally in non-parallel relation to one another.

'5. A unitary grid structure for an ice tray comprising, a longitudinal wall, a plurality of spaced apart walls extending transversely to said longitudinal wall and individually interlocked thereother of said transverse walls beyond said first with for movement within fixedlimits thereupon, said walls cooperating with the tray to form compartments in which a liquid is frozen into ice blocks, a lever permanently attached to a central part of said longitudinal grid wall, all of said transverse walls on one side of said lever being inclined with respect to the vertical toward said lever, all of said transverse walls on the other side of said lever also being inclined with respect to the vertical toward said lever, and said lever being movable to engage and tilt transverse walls adjacent thereto in a direction toward the vertical and to tilt other of said transverse walls toward the vertical by reason of force transmitted through ice blocks in said compartments.

6. A grid of the character described in claim 5 wherein the inclined transverse walls are normally in non-parallel relation to one another.

7. A grid of the character described in claim 5 wherein the lever is movable in a single direction of motion for engaging and moving the transverse walls adjacent thereto in opposite directions relative to one another and toward the vertical.

8. In combination, a grid for a freezing tray, said grid comprising a longitudinal main wall, a series of cross walls retained in spaced relation along the length of said main wall and defining ice block compartments therewith and with said tray, said cross walls being permanently interlocked with and tiltably mounted upon said main wall in such manner that said cross walls may be tilted in a direction longitudinally of said main wall to loosen the ice blocks from their frozen bond to the grid surfaces, at least one of said cross walls having its upper margin extending clear of and unobstructed by, all adjacent portions of said main wall when in freezing position, and a hand lever arranged to forcibly pry said one cross wall to a tilted position by engaging its said unobstructed upper margin and by reacting upon a closely adjacent portion of said main wall.

JAMES W. JACOBS. 

